Method of system for verifying entry of manually adjustable data in a multi-parameter aircraft instrument display

ABSTRACT

A method and system for providing an easily recognizable visual feedback to a user in a multi-parameter aircraft instrument display, such as a flat panel display, of manually induced variations in individually selected manually adjustable data associated with a selected one of a plurality of displayable parameters in a simultaneous display of these parameters. The method and system provides visual confirmation of the parameter being manually varied in response to such manual variations by enlarging the display of the selected parameter, such as by zooming out the displayed image of the selected parameter to between two and four times its normal size in response to the manual variation of this parameter, and returns the image size to its original size, such as by zooming in, in response to a cessation in the manual adjustments by the user of the associated dimensional data, such as within a predetermined interval after such cessation, such as two to four seconds thereafter. A frame may be provided about the enlarged image to provide further visual confirmation to the user.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of commonly owned copending U.S.patent application Ser. No. 10/616,208, filed Jul. 8, 2003, entitled“Method and Apparatus for Facilitating Entry of Manually-Adjustable DataSetting in an Aircraft Cockpit”, and naming Geoffrey S. M. Hedrick asthe sole inventor thereof, and claims priority from U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 60/394,591, filed Jul. 8, 2002, the contentsof which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to the display of manually entereddata on a multi-parameter aircraft instrument display, such as a flatpanel display, in which there are a plurality of simultaneouslydisplayed parameters, and more particularly to a method and system ofproviding easily recognizable visual confirmation to the user that thecorrect parameter in the multi-parameter display is being manuallyvaried.

2. Description of the Related Art

In the operation of an aircraft it is commonly necessary or desirable tomanually set or adjust, and in some cases to periodically reset orreadjust, a variety of course, instrument and environmental settings andparameters that are utilized in flight and ground operations. Forexample, the local barometric pressure may be set—initially using thelocal pressure measured at the airport when the aircraft is on theground prior to takeoff and, at altitudes of less than 18,000 feet(flight level 180), thereafter from time-to-time to reflect changes inthe local barometric pressure as the aircraft proceeds in flight—inorder to provide the altimeter with an accurate reference against whichto calculate changes in the aircraft altitude.

Prior art mechanical altimeters, typically implemented as discretesingle-function instruments, include a pilot-graspable shaft-mountedknob that projects outwardly from the altimeter faceplate perimeter andwhich is selectively rotatable to enable manual setting, and resetting,of the local barometric pressure. Rotation of the knob changes therelative alignment of a numeric index scale with a pointer so that thepilot can, through such rotation, selectively adjust the scale toindicate that the current local pressure is, by way of illustration,30.12 in. Hg. Because the numeric indications on the index scale arequite small and the consequences of an incorrect setting can bedisastrous in certain situations, an unusual amount of pilot attentionmust be directed to the instrument when setting, or resetting, thealtimeter adjustment. The potential for introducing inadvertent errorsinto the adjustment is understandably greater in flight, when theattention required to correctly effect the adjustment must come at theexpense of the pilot's other responsibilities and workload inmaintaining situational awareness and otherwise operating andcontrolling the aircraft.

Although these discrete mechanical altimeters are still commonlyemployed in the majority of smaller propeller-driven aircraft and, to alesser extent, in small and larger jets and in other commercialaircraft, they are increasingly being replaced by digital flat paneldisplays (FPDs), and the associated control systems for providing theimaging data indicative of current aircraft altitude, on which theaircraft's current altitude is displayed for viewing and use by thepilot(s) and/or flight crew. In addition to current aircraft altitudethe FPD will also typically continue to display the current localbarometric pressure setting which has been manually input by the pilotor other user and on which the calculation of current aircraft altitudeis based. That setting may be manually input, by way of illustrativeexample, through selective rotation of a rotatable knob or otheruser-manipulatable control that is expressly provided for that purpose,or via a keypad on which the numeric value of the local barometric.(“baro”) pressure is entered, or by finger or stylus contact with atouch-sensitive pad or the surface of a touch-sensitive FPD. As withprior art mechanical altimeters, the current local pressure setting may,in any event, be periodically input or entered or adjusted with a highdegree of accuracy, and thus, normally requires that the pilot devotespecial attention to assuring input of the correct setting, whether theaircraft is on the ground or in the course of flight.

The FPD on which the manually-input local barometric pressure setting isdisplayed, and on which the aircraft's current altitude is dynamicallyupdated and displayed may be dedicated to providing that functionalityalone, and can be implemented so that the FPD graphically depicts orsimulates the appearance of a prior art mechanical altimeter with whichall licensed pilots are familiar. Increasingly, however, the flightdecks of large commercial passenger aircraft are provided withrelatively large FPDs that display for the flight crew, in addition toaircraft altitude, a multiplicity of other types of aircraft status,flight, navigation and other aircraft and environmental data that isused in the operation and control of the aircraft. In either case,manual setting of the current local barometric pressure requires thatspecial attention be directed and diverted to the FPD, on which thenumeric pressure adjustment setting being entered or input is displayedamong a crowded field of data and, in order to provide sufficient roomto fit all of that data on the FPD, the barometric pressure setting istypically displayed in a relatively small format and/or numerictypesize, so that the pilot must devote unusual attention to the task ofentering the desired setting in order to avoid inadvertentpotentially-disastrous errors. This problem is especially apparent inmultipurpose FPDs that concurrently display numerous different types ofinformation and data to the aircraft pilot, thereby increasing theopportunity for a busy or task-overloaded pilot to inadvertentlymanipulate the wrong knob or control and/or to view the wrong onscreendata in entering the new setting, or in any event requiring that thepilot take more time and divert more attention to carefully effect thelocal barometric pressure setting adjustment than might otherwise beneeded to do so.

SUMMARY OF PARTICULAR EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In various embodiments, the invention provides methods, systems, andapparatuses for facilitating the manual adjustment or entry of datasettings—such, by way of illustrative example, as the current localbarometric pressure—in an aircraft cockpit or flight deck environment inwhich the data is digitally displayed on a flat panel display (FPD),such for example as a liquid crystal, display (LCD). In someembodiments, for example, the invention is equally applicable to a FPDthat displays only the particular data or setting or information ofinterest—such as a dedicated, single-function digital FPD or LCDaltimeter—as well as to a FPD that is operable to concurrently display amultiplicity of data or settings or information, among them theparticular data or setting or information with respect to which themanual adjustment or setting is required. In some embodiments, theinvention may also be applied to the setting of user-adjustable datathat is not normally displayed or depicted on a FPD but which, inaccordance with the invention, is imaged on the FPD for and during theadjustment or setting of the data. Moreover, the applicability ofcertain embodiments of the invention is unaffected by the specificmanner in which the adjustment or entry of the setting is accomplished,whether through rotation or other user manipulation of a knob or likecontrol element or surface, or by direct keypad entry of the datasetting value, or via finger or stylus contact with a touch-control pador surface or an FPD surface or faceplate, in another manner, or acombination thereof, for example.

Thus, in accordance with various embodiments of the invention, when theuser-adjustable variable setting is to be entered or adjusted orselected, the area on the FPD at which the setting to be adjusted orentered is imaged or is to be shown, and/or within which the setting isto be selected or entered, may be predeterminately increased in sizerelative to its original, normal display size and relative to theoverall size of the FPD. For example, the size may be doubled from thatwhich in which the setting is normally displayed on the FPD duringflight or other normal operation of the aircraft, in some embodiments.Where the particular data to which the setting relates is normallydisplayed in a window or otherwise in a predeterminately marked-off orseparately delineated area on the FPD, in certain embodiments, thewindow or the like may be doubled (for example) in size. Where the datais normally displayed by a graphic or graphically-defined image—such aswhere the setting to be adjusted is the position of a “heading bug” on agraphically-depicted directional gyro (“DG”) compass rose—the graphic orimage (or that portion of the image at which the adjustment is beinginput, such as the relevant arcuate portion of the compass rose) may bedoubled (for example) in size, in some embodiments. Where the data isnormally displayed by alphanumeric characters, the typesize—and,optionally, the typeface or font—of the alphanumeric characters, in someembodiments, may be doubled (for example) in size and/or otherwisechanged to instantly highlight that data and the adjustment thereofbeing entered.

Although this increase or enlargement in the displayed size of therelevant data or graphic may, and will, in many embodiments, result inthe obscuring of other “underlying” information or data or images thatare normally displayed on the FPD in the expanded area over which theenlargement has occurred, such obscurement may be only temporary (i.e.while the adjustment or new setting is entered or effected), in someembodiments. It is also within the intended scope and contemplation ofsome embodiments of the invention that, if desired, the temporarilyenlarged data or graphic may be rendered predeterminately translucent sothat the temporarily obscured data can be at least partially viewedthrough that portion of the enlarged data or image that would otherwisehide or obscure the “underlying” data.

As a result of the enlarged size of the displayed data or graphic, inmany embodiments, the pilot can more easily view and enter or modify orselect the new data setting. The attention of the pilot that must bedirected to assuring an accurate manual adjustment of the data settingis thereby reduced, in some embodiments, relative to the other tasks andoperations and work load to which the pilot must also devote his or herattention.

In a further aspect of some embodiments of the invention, the settingbeing input or adjusted may instead or additionally be displayed, on theFPD, in the enlarged condition, on a graphical scale or in anothermanner that indicates to the viewer the new data setting value beinginput relative to the range of values to which the setting may beadjusted. For example, when the local barometric pressure setting is tobe input or adjusted to 30.22 in. Hg, an enlarged graphical scale may bedisplayed on the FPD in some embodiments, and, upon entry or adjustmentor selection of the pressure value 30.22, the display may graphicallyshow that a value approximately midway along the scale, a relativelysmall amount greater than the “standard” barometric pressure of 29.92in. Hg, has been entered or selected, for example. In variousembodiments, this permits the pilot to quickly and easily verify thatthe correct and intended setting has been entered—first, by providing anenlarged, graphical display that enhances the pilot's awareness of thescale for the relevant data and of the particular value (in relation tothat displayed scale) that has been set through the use of an intuitivegraphical representation, and second, in some embodiments, by thereforenot requiring that the pilot divert undue attention from other ongoingefforts or activities or needs in the aircraft cockpit or flight deck.The pilot's attention may thus be quickly and accurately drawn to thatlocation on the FPD screen at which the data entry is to be effect,and/or at which the current and/or new data value is shown, in manyembodiments, thereby minimizing the amount of time required to completethe data setting or adjustment procedure or operation, as examples.

The event trigger or initiator of the enlargement in size (and of theoptional graphical or other scale-like depiction of the setting valuerange) of the relevant data on the FPD can, in accordance with someembodiments of the invention, be implemented in a suitable manner, and,in some cases, as may be or be deemed appropriate for or dictated by theparticular manner in which the setting adjustment is manually effected,for instance. For example, where a rotatable or otherwise displaceableknob or other manipulatable control is provided, such as to adjust thelocal barometric pressure setting, pilot contact with or manipulation ofthe control can automatically initiate the predetermined enlargement insize and optional scale display. In this manner the pilot immediatelyobtains feedback and awareness that he or she has initiated (or is aboutto initiate) a change or adjustment of the local barometric pressuresetting, for example, eliminating uncertainty in some embodiments as towhether the proper control, has been grasped or selected or identifiedfor making the adjustment and highlighting on the FPD, by way of theenlargement, the data adjustment being entered or effected. Since thenew data setting can be entered more quickly and easily, in manyembodiments, the pilot's workload and stress level are effectivelyreduced. The display of a graphical scale or the like showing therelative location of the, new data setting among and along theappropriate range for that data further enhances the pilot'sunderstanding and awareness of the entered data setting, in someembodiments, and thereby enables rapid confirmation that the correct andintended setting has been entered, for example. These advantages resultin an overall enhancement in aircraft operational safety, in manyembodiments.

It is also intended that the image enlargement (and optional scale),once effected by pilot contact with or manipulation of the appropriatecontrol (or otherwise) for the particular data, may be maintained on theFPD for a predetermined period of time after adjustment of the datavalue setting or adjustment has been completed, in some embodiments. Forexample, where the adjustment is effected by user manipulation of arotatable knob or contact with another control or surface, or throughdirect user data entry on a physical or image-simulated keypad, theenlargement (and optional scale) may, by way of illustration, bemaintained on the FPD screen for a period of 2 seconds after no furthermanipulation or contact of the input or adjustment control by the useris sensed, for instance. This brief delay in returning the data image toits original, normal, non-enlarged size provides, in some embodiments,an additional opportunity for the pilot or other user to view theentered data and thereby confirm—even if necessary to momentarily lookaway from the display to perform some other aircraft control function oroperation after the data has been entered—that the correct and intendeddata has been entered.

Other benefits and features of the present invention may become apparentfrom the following detailed description considered in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that thedrawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as adefinition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should bemade to the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an aircraft cockpit instrumentation displaysystem implementing an example of an embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a method for facilitating entry ofmanually-adjustable data settings in an aircraft cockpit in accordancewith an example of an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLES OF EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 depicts an instrumentation display system 10 for use in anaircraft cockpit and in which various embodiments of the invention maybe implemented. Those skilled in the art will recognize, based on thisdisclosure and an understanding therefrom of the teachings of theinvention hereof, that the particular hardware and devices that form thedisplay system 10, and the general display functionality provided by andincorporated therein, may vary in different embodiments of theinvention. It is contemplated and intended that certain embodiments ofthe invention are implemented by way of software programming to provideparticular advantageous functionality and, moreover, such programmingcan take various forms within the inventive scope. Accordingly, theparticular system components shown in FIG. 1 are intended to provide anillustrative example of such apparatus so as to facilitate a full andcomplete understanding and appreciation of the various aspects andfunctionality of particular embodiments of the invention as realized inmethod and apparatus embodiments thereof.

The display system 10 of FIG. 1 may be of a type typically found in acommercial aircraft. Data inputs 12 from onboard aircraft andenvironmental sensors, from received ground-based and other data-linkedtransmissions to the aircraft, from a variety of monitoring andcomputing devices and equipment aboard the aircraft, and from othersources of relevant information (as is well known in the art) which isdisplayed or which contributes to information displayed in the aircraftcockpit to assist the flight crew in the operation of the aircraft areultimately input to an air data computer (ADC) 14, for example. Air datacomputers may perform a host of data processing and control functionsrelated to the flight and operation of the aircraft, many of which maybe unrelated to the subject matter and functionality of the presentinvention. Of relevance here, for example, is that the air data computeroutputs data signals to a graphics rendering controller or computer 16,in some embodiments, that is operable to receive the data signals andrender therefrom electrical signals to present on a connected flat paneldisplay (FPD) 18 graphically-depicted information for use by a pilot inoperating the aircraft. The FPD 18 may be disposed in the aircraftcockpit in a location selected for ready viewing by the pilot(s) andflight crew, and may present on a single large display screen, invarious embodiments, a wide variety of information and data including,inter alia, primary data required for constant viewing and use by apilot to maintain control of the aircraft and secondary data relatingto, by way of illustrative example, fuel loads, electrical systemstatus, hydraulic pressures and en route leg and estimated destinationtimes. Such multipurpose FPDs may thus present, in various embodiments,a multiplicity of information and data intermixed in and among a crowdedfield.

The functionality of the present invention may be implemented in thegraphics rendering computer 16, for example. As discussed herein, invarious embodiments, the invention provides a predetermined enlargementin the depicted size of data or indications that are normally presentedin a relatively smaller size on the display 18 when a variable,user-adjustable setting related to the data or indications is to beentered or adjusted or selected by a pilot or other user, for instance.The graphics rendering computer 16 may be accordingly provided with atrigger input 20, in some embodiments, that signals to the graphicsprocessor that the particular data or indication to which the adjustmentrelates is to be enlarged in size. Upon receipt of the trigger, in manyembodiments, the graphics rendering computer 16, via the electricalsignals that it directs to the display 18, may cause the particular dataor indication to be predeterminately enlarged in size on the display,for example. In certain forms of the invention, the data or indicationremains predeterminately enlarged, for instance, for at least as long asthe data adjustment or adjustment continues. Thus, where the adjustmentis of the local barometric pressure setting, for example, thealphanumeric or other representation of the local barometric pressuresetting value on the display 18 may be and may remain predeterminatelyenlarged during the entire period in which the adjustment is being made,in some embodiments. In certain embodiments, the enlarged data orindication representation on the display may be further maintained foran additional time period following completion of the adjustment, forexample, an additional interval in the range of approximately 2 to 4seconds. The graphics rendering computer 16 can also operativelyprovide, in some embodiments, that the enlarged data or indication onthe display 18 be presented in a translucent or semi-translucent mannerso as to permit pilot viewing of other data and indications and imageson the display over which the enlarged data or indications appear duringthe adjustment and any time-out interval, for instance. In someembodiments, such translucency can be effected by suitable manipulationof the electrical signals directed from the rendering computer 16 to thedisplay 18.

The particular hardware utilized to provide the advantageousfunctionality of the invention may vary in different embodiments. Inparticular embodiments, certain relevant functions provided in someembodiments by the air data computer 14 can instead be provided by adata processor or incorporated into a suitably-programmed graphicsrendering controller or computer, for example. In some implementationsof the invention, as for example in general aviation (e.g.,noncommercial) aircraft or in applying some embodiments of the inventionto single-use or limited scope multi-used displays in which significantmanipulation of and computations with raw sensor data is not required,the functionality of air data computer 14 may perhaps be dispensed withentirely, or replaced with a suitable hardware interface between thesensor(s), for example, and the rendering computer or controller 16.Similarly, in some embodiments, the rendering computer 16 can takeanother appropriate form so long as it contains suitable softwareinstructions or programming—or, in some embodiments, dedicated hardwarecircuitry and/or components—configured or prepared for providing certaininventive functionality and operations as herein disclosed. The display18 can be one of various types of display, for example, a flat paneldisplay and, moreover, in some embodiments, the invention can beimplemented in a head-up display system in which the displayed data isprojected into the view of the aircraft pilot from a projector or otherdisplay surface that may or may not be directly visible to the pilot.

The flow chart of FIG. 2 presents an example of an inventive method inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. For ease of explanation,and without intending to limit the contemplated scope or utility of theinvention, it is assumed in discussing FIG. 2 that the data to beadjusted or entered is the current local barometric pressure.

At the start 100 of the FIG. 2 procedure, a determination is made attest 102, for instance, whether a predetermined trigger event orcondition has occurred. For setting or adjustment of the localbarometric pressure, that trigger event may, by way of example, be pilotcontact with or displacement of a rotatable knob, for instance, withwhich the setting is adjusted, or toggling or actuation of a switch(either separate from or associated with a knob or other manipulatabledata-adjustment control), or selection of a barometric pressure settingentry mode, or pilot contact with a keypad or pressure-sensitive pad orwith a predetermined portion of a touch-sensitive display screen orother control or control, surface for adjustment of that setting. Invarious embodiments, the test 102 may be continuously repeated untiloccurrence of the predetermined trigger event has occurred, in responseto the detection of which the graphics rendering processor causes (step104) the depiction of the local barometric pressure on the display to beenlarged in a predetermined manner, for example. That enlargement may,for example, be a doubling in size, and may additionally include thepresentation of a high-contrast frame or outline around the depictedsetting, and/or a change in color, and/or the presentation of agraphical scale to further assist in entry of the intended new oradjusted value, and/or a change in the relative translucency of thepresented setting or indication, and/or another suitable depiction forthe particular data and application.

With the data or indication enlarged, at step 106, in the embodimentillustrated, an ascending or count-up timer may be initialized. Adetermination is then made (step 108), in some embodiments, as towhether there is continued input to the data setting controller—e.g.,whether the trigger event or condition has reoccurred or continued. Ifso, then the timer is reinitialized at step 106, in some embodiments,and the test at step 108 is repeated, in certain embodiments, until itis determined that further data entry or adjustment (i.e. the triggercondition) has ceased, for instance. In some embodiments, at that pointthe value of the timer is tested (step 110) to determine whether thepredetermined time-out interval—in this example assumed to be 2 secondssince timer initialization—has been met. If not, in various embodiments,the test at step 108 is repeated. If, on the other hand, the timerreveals that the time-out interval of 2 seconds has elapsed since thetimer was last initialized, then, in some embodiments, at step 112 thegraphics rendering computer causes the display to return the depictedindication of local barometric pressure to its normal, unenlarged sizeand condition, for example. The method then returns to the test of step102, in some embodiments, to again await receipt of a further triggerevent or condition.

As may be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art, the use in theforegoing description of the local barometric pressure as the datasetting being adjusted and displayed is intended to be an example only,and the invention may also or alternatively be applied to numerous otherpilot-adjustable or enterable settings and parameters and data andinformation that is displayed on an aircraft cockpit FPD or the like foruse in the operation and control of the aircraft. For example, it iscommon in the operation of an aircraft to periodically adjust orreposition the so-called “heading bug” that a pilot may use to indicate,relative to the dynamically-changing DG heading indicator, the intendeddirection or course of flight. Thus, in some embodiments, a window orother portion of the FPD screen may, in accordance with the invention,be enlarged or increased in size—as for example by a factor of two—asand when the heading bug is repositioned by pilot manipulation of acontrol that is provided or used for that purpose. It is similarlycommon to readjust, from time to time, the DG relative to an onboardcalibrated compass to periodically correct for gyroscopic precession asan aircraft proceeds in flight so that the heading displayed by the DGproperly corresponds to that shown or provided by the compass. Here to,a window or other portion of the FPD screen may, in some embodiments, beenlarged or increased in size for and during such adjustment. Otherpilot-settable data adjustments and entries that are commonly made in anaircraft cockpit relate by way of illustrative example to decisionheight, target altitudes, communication frequencies and referenceairspeeds, as examples, and these and numerous other such dataadjustments and entries may be the subject of the advantageousfunctionality of various embodiments of the present invention.

Thus, while there have shown and described and pointed out various novelfeatures of the invention as applied to particular embodiments thereof,it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions andchanges in the form and details of the methods described and devicesillustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in theart without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, itis expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/ormethod steps which perform substantially the same function insubstantially the same way to achieve the same results are within thescope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized thatstructures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described inconnection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may beincorporated in another disclosed or described or suggested form orembodiment, which in some cases may be as a general matter of designchoice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicatedby the scope of the claims appended hereto.

1. A method for providing an easily recognizable visual feedback to auser in a multi-parameter aircraft instrument display of manuallyinduced variations in individually selected manually adjustabledimensional data associated with a selected one of a plurality ofdisplayable parameters in said multi-parameter aircraft instrumentdisplay, said multi-parameter aircraft instrument display containing aplurality of said displayable parameters in a simultaneous visualdisplay thereof, each of said parameter displays varying in accordancewith a selected one of a plurality of manual adjustments of saiddimensional data associated therewith for providing variations in saiddimensional data, each of said individually selectable parameters havinga unique associated visible indicia which uniquely visually identifies aparticular one of said individually selectable manually variableparameters as being associated with a particular one of said pluralityof displayable parameters; said method comprising the step of providingvisual confirmation that the correct parameter in said multi-parameterdisplay which the user intends to vary is having its associateddimensional data manually varied, said visual confirmation beingprovided by visually enlarging the display of said selected one of saidsimultaneously displayed parameters with respect to said non-selectedsimultaneously displayed parameters from an original normal display sizein said display for a predetermined time period in response to saidmanual adjustments of said dimensional data associated therewith;whereby the user may easily recognize whether the correct parameter isbeing manually varied, said method further comprising the steps ofvisually reducing the display of said selected one of saidsimultaneously displayed parameters back to its original normal displaysize after said predetermined time period in response to a cessation insaid manual adjustments of said dimensional data associated therewith,said predetermined time period being dependent on a continuation of saidmanual adjustments of said dimensional data associated with saiddisplayed parameter being varied, initializing a predetermined timingsequence in response to said visually enlarging of said display of saidselected one of said simultaneously displayed parameters and continuingto iteratively determine if said manual adjustments of said selected oneof said parameters are continuing during said predetermined timingsequence in order to reinitialize said predetermined timing sequenceeach time said iterative determination indicates said manual adjustmentsto be continuing until said manual adjustments cease, said predeterminedtime period of said enlargement being determined by said cessation insaid manual adjustments and comprising said initialized predeterminedtiming sequences which comprise said iterative determination.
 2. Amethod in accordance with claim 1 wherein said step of providing visualconfirmation comprises the step of zooming out the image size of saidselected one of said simultaneously displayed parameters for visuallyenlarging the display thereof.
 3. A method in accordance with claim 1wherein said step of visually reducing the display of said selected oneof said simultaneously displayed parameters back to its original normaldisplay size comprises the step of zooming in the image size of saidselected one of said visually displayed parameters.
 4. A method inaccordance with claim 2 wherein said step of zooming out the image sizecomprises the step of zooming out said image size to approximately twiceits original normal display size.
 5. A method in accordance with claim 1further comprising the step of providing an image frame around saidenlarged display of said selected one of said parameters for enhancingsaid visual confirmation.
 6. A method in accordance with claim 1 whereinsaid predetermined time interval is within the range of approximatelytwo to four seconds.
 7. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein saidaircraft instrument display is a flat panel display.
 8. Amulti-parameter aircraft instrument display system for providing aneasily recognizable visual feedback to a user of manually inducedvariations in individually selected manually adjustable dimensional dataassociated with a selected one of a plurality of manually adjustabledisplayable parameters, said system comprising a multi-parameteraircraft instrument display, said multi-parameter aircraft instrumentdisplay comprising a plurality of displayable parameters in asimultaneous visual display thereof; means for individually manuallyadjusting said dimensional data associated with each of said parameterdisplays; means for varying each of said parameter displays inaccordance with a selected one of a plurality of said manual adjustmentsof said dimensional data associated therewith for providing variationsin said dimensional data, each of said individually selectableparameters having a unique associated visible indicia which uniquelyvisually identifies a particular one of said individually selectablemanually variable parameters as being associated with a particular oneof said plurality of simultaneously displayable parameters; and meansfor providing visual confirmation that the correct parameter in saidmulti-parameter simultaneous display which the user intends to vary ishaving its associated dimensional data manually varied, said visualconfirmation means comprising means for visually enlarging the displayof said selected one of said simultaneously displayed parameters withrespect to said non-selected simultaneously displayed parameters from anoriginal normal display size in said display for a predetermined timeperiod in response to said manual adjustments of said dimensional dataassociated therewith; whereby the user may easily recognize whether thecorrect parameter is being manually varied, said visual confirmationmeans further comprising means for visually reducing the display of saidselected one of said simultaneously displayed parameters back to itsoriginal normal display size after said predetermined time period inresponse to a cessation in said manual adjustments of said dimensionaldata associated therewith, said predetermined time period beingdependent on a continuation of said manual adjustments of saiddimensional data associated with said displayed parameter being varied,said multi-parameter aircraft instrument display comprising means forinitializing a predetermined timing sequence in response to saidvisually enlarging of said display of said selected one of saidsimultaneously displayed parameters and means for continuing toiteratively determine if said manual adjustments of said selected one ofsaid parameters are continuing during said predetermined timing sequencein order to reinitialize said predetermined timing sequence each timesaid iterative determination indicates said manual adjustments to becontinuing until said manual adjustments cease, said predetermined timeperiod of said enlargement being determined by said cessation in saidmanual adjustments and comprising said initialized predetermined timingsequences which comprise said iterative determination.
 9. A system inaccordance with claim 8 wherein said means for visually enlarging thedisplay of said selected one of said simultaneously displayed parameterscomprises means for zooming out said image size to approximately twiceits original normal display size.